Killer the Station57Cat

One of the more perfect aspects of this career for me was the opportunity to take on the primary caretaking responsibilities for a stray cat that wandered into our station, Killer, as she came to be known, was found underneath an ambulance in front of the station one day. Two of the EMTs fed her hotdogs, the only cat-favorable food they could find in our kitchen. She disappeared shortly thereafter. About 4 days later she was discovered under our gear rack, where she lived for several months.

Numerous attempts to coax her out with better food options were initially unsuccessful. But during this time Killer became a very prolific hunter of mice and rats. In fact, we had no idea how infested our workplace had been until Killer strew her leftover carcasses across the apparatus floor. We just came to accept that a predator lived at our station now, one that only came out when no one else was around.

Despite a small, vocal minority that thought a cat was inappropriate at the workplace, most people were enthusiastic about having a cat at the station and we all worked hard to convince her that she was appreciated. She eventually befriended us, albeit, cautiously, and a mascot position was created. Our new station cat deserved a real name, instead of the Killing Machine, Rat Killer, or many of the other names she was called that involved carnage. But whenever attempts were made to change it a new dead mouse would be found in a conspicuous location, so Killer remained the predominant name, despite most people calling her by some other moniker. Cats being cats, it didn’t really matter since they tend not to answer regardless of what you call them.

In an attempt to make her better understood by the the “haters” I started an Instagram account in her name which grew to become very popular. It was a wonderful experience to tell Killer’s story connecting our little EMS station to people from all around the world who learned about what we do and how a cat can be a great asset to a workplace. It was incredibly successful in that Killer became an icon for the station. In trying to interpret her moods and disapproving facial expressions for the Instagram account many of the non-cat people came around to understand her better. She was featured in several magazines and had a video on the Dodo which increased her audience. Her celebrity status had people visiting her from all over the world. When Chiefs and management from headquarters came to the station they would ask about Killer, often bringing treats and toys to win her over.

It was my hope that Killer would be a ‘spokescat’ for animal adoption in non-traditional situations. I always felt that feral cats were an asset to certain jobs, like ours, where the frequently  open nature of our facilities lent itself to rodent issues. The unconditional comfort animals bring is also a huge plus in jobs where the emotional toll of the daily job requirements is a much needed stress reliever. EMT’s and paramedics see humanity at its worst. Having a nonhuman to focus on upon the return to the station was invaluable on numerous occasions.

Unfortunately, after only a few years, Killer became very ill. We took her to the vet to discover she had cancer. The cancer advanced very quickly despite aggressive treatment which would not have been possible without the help and assistance of her legion of fans. Killer died in April 2019. She is greatly missed and her IG continues as a memorial to her memory.

Killer was an integral part of my career and I hope to add some of Killer’s story to this site as well.